I don't know how long I sat there, soaking wet and shirtless, but my anger and despair soon evaporated. Instead, as I absentmindedly licked Dean Lachlan's blood off my lips, I was flooded with hunger.

Hunger for his blood... and his body.

And then I was angry again.

How could I want him after what he did to me? I thought, slamming my fist into the ground.

I hated him with every fiber of my being. Yet, more than anything, I wanted him to find me and soothe the throbbing ache that was building between my thighs.

I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees with a groan.

Deep breaths, Audrey. I told myself. It's just his blood turning you on. Relax.

But I couldn't. My body was craving release, painfully begging me to track him down. Before I could obey it, I stood and bolted for the woods. My jeans were still wet from my impromptu swim with Nero, and the legs scraped loudly against each other as I ran.

The sound was deafening.

Just as I thought about ditching the clothes, I came across a cabin. It was dimly lit, with plumes of smoke wafting out of a stone chimney. Thoughtlessly, I went inside and leaned against the thick wooden door.

I felt a bit better, having some distance and four walls between me and Dean Lachlan. But I was still horny. Very, very horny.

"You know it's rude to enter someone's home without knocking."

My heart stopped.

Oh no.

My eyes snapped open to see Nero standing in front of the fireplace... completely naked.

Oh, fuck no.

I couldn't speak. All the moisture left my mouth as my heart rate kicked into high gear.

He had a towel thrown over his shoulder, and didn't even bother using it to cover himself up.

"Duke said you ran off after Gabriel gave you his blood," he said, scrubbing his lavender hair with the towel. "I was getting ready to go find you."

The way his long, lean frame was silhouetted by the fire crackling behind him made it impossible to think. I closed my eyes and took in a shaky breath.

Not that it did any good.

I could still see his firm muscles-- particularly the delicious looking ones that led to his thick cock--in my mind's eye.

Finally, I opened my eyes and forced myself to speak. "You weren't there?"

I was relieved Nero hadn't seen me feeding on the Dean. But I couldn't help feeling a little hurt, too.

I was dead-- at least, I was pretty sure I was before Dean Lachlan brought me back. And Nero couldn't stick around long enough to see if I could be saved?

"No. Don't you remember what happened?"

I shook my head. "Last thing I remember before Gabriel brought me back was that thing biting my neck. Why? What happened?"

Nero moved away from the fireplace to a chest of drawers on the right side of the room. "Don't worry about it."

He came to stand in front of me, a wad of fabric clutched in his long fingered hand. "Just know that that thing won't be able to hurt you ever again."

I got a chill from the dark and final tone his voice held, and I carefully took the clothes he offered.

"Bathroom's through that door." He pointed to a door on the left side of the room. "I'll take you back to your dorm when you get dressed."

I gave him a nod and headed to the bathroom, averting my eyes to keep from staring at his nakedness.

Just like the main room, the lighting in the bathroom was dim. But I managed to clean all the blood off my face and neck before peeling out of my wet pants and panties. Unsure of what to do with them, I poked my head out the door to ask Nero for a bag, and nearly head-butted him.

"Shit." We gasped and cursed in tandem, then chuckled.

"Sorry," he smirked. "I just thought you might need a bag for your...hey, are you bleeding?"

Knowing I wouldn't be able to tell in the lighting, I closed the bathroom door to check anyway. "I don't think so."

"Open the door and let me see."

"What? No way!"

I heard him huff on the other side. "Why not?"

"Because I'm naked." And I'm so fucking turned on I could burst.

"It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." He sounded amused. "Besides, you could have a serious injury and not know it."

I scoffed. "I think I'd know if I were seriously injured."

"Not with vampire blood in your system." He uttered. "Even a few drops is enough to make you numb to pain for hours."

I thought it over, and re-checked every inch of myself I could see, before giving in. "Fine. Just try not to touch me, okay?"

I felt like a ticking time bomb, knotted up excruciatingly tight with sexual tension. A touch, a graze, any kind of physical contact from Nero would be enough to push me over the edge.

And I wasn't sure I was ready to take that leap.

"I won't touch you unless I have to," he replied earnestly.

Accepting his answer, I opened the door and cautiously stepped out.

Nero was now wearing a pair of pajama pants and an inscrutable expression. His eyes were hard as stone as he slowly scanned me up and down. His breathing stopped when he got to my breasts, and his gaze heated.

"Alright," he finally exhaled. "Turn around."

My heart was pounding as I quietly obeyed, and I heard him suppress a groan behind me. After a moment, he stepped closer, and the air between us turned electric.

"You have a scrape," he breathed, brushing my hair to the side. "I'm sorry, but I have to..."

He moved, and his tongue glided deliberately up my back.

"Oh, God." Every nerve ending in me screamed in response. I was panting, squirming against him. "Nero, please."

His arms shot around me; one hand flat against my belly, the other cupping my throat.

"Please what?" He nipped at my ear.

I craned my neck to look up at him, lost in the intensity of his amethyst eyes. "Nero, we need to-"

His lips crashed into mine, eradicating my rational line of thinking.

We needed to stop, to fight the lust blazing through us. But the feel of his body, the taste of my blood on his tongue was making me crazy.

"Please," I rasped against his mouth. "Fuck me."

Growling with delight, Nero spun me around and lifted me off the floor. My legs wrapped around his waist and his hands palmed my ass, his fingertips brushing teasingly against my sex.

I whimpered, rocking greedily against him.

"Hang on," he panted. "We need a condom."

Still holding me, Nero went back to the chest of drawers and opened one up. After a second, he set me down to slip off his pants.

"Are you sure you want this?" He asked after tearing open a foil packet.

I watched, mesmerized, as he slid the condom down his length. I gulped. "Yes."

Relief flashed across his face, and in an instant I was on my back. He kissed his way up and down my neck, pushing my legs apart with his hips. And then he stopped to stare down at me.

He smoothed the hair off my forehead, looking like he was about to speak. But instead of saying anything, he thrust into me. Hard.

I cried out from the intrusion, the intensity, as an orgasm shot through me. When I came down, Nero was starring at me, expression unreadable. "Are you okay?"

I gave him a quick nod and tilted my hips up to meet his. He got the hint. Seizing my mouth with his, Nero slammed into me at a feverish pace. Another orgasm ripped through me, and Nero caught my cries with his mouth.

"Beautiful."

He kissed me again after I came.

"Gorgeous."

He nibbled at my neck.

"Mine."

His fangs sank into my shoulder, dragging another earthshaking orgasm out of me. He moaned into my flesh, thrusting one more time before finding his own release.

I held him tight, loving the feel of his rigid muscles beneath my fingers, when something made me a look up.

Duke was watching us from outside. When he noticed I spotted him, he didn't look embarrassed or rueful. Instead, he gave me a wink and disappeared into the darkness.